EVENTS IN NOVEMBER 2018. A useful shortlist.

sNovember is already here with it's National matters, mustache growing and, some believe, the first proper snow in the city. In 2018 this could be a difficult month for a non-Latvian event-goer though. Most activities are related to the National Centenary and bear some Latvian knowledge as well as contain some pathos vague to foreign visitors.
But don't worry, dear buddy, CAPITAL R knows all the tricks and treats to reach out for events as cosmopolitan as potatoes. Here's our personal pick of activities in November.

APTIEKAI 10

When: 1 - 10 NovemberWhere:Krogs AptiekaHow much: free entrance
Aptieka or "Pharmacy" is a legendary alternative music pub standing strong in the middle of the tourist obsessed Old Town. Every year on its birthday they open up a set of events in their tiny basement music space (rather looking like a rehearsal room) to famous local music acts from alternative and underground scene. NB! The events are 99% sure packed as Shanghai metro, yet here is the list of this years performers, all as one you should know - Bērnības Milicija (1 Nov), PND (2/11), Martas Asinis (3/11), Nikto (4/11), Oghre (5/11), TESA + Grave Disgrace (6/11), Inokentijs Mārpls (7/11), Nova Koma (8/11), ILLA (9/11), Eschatos (10/11).Facebook

PENCILHAUStINI

When: 2 NovemberWhere:ONE ONEHow much: € - €€
"The world is at her feet – from Berlin to that small island technically in Spain – anywhere on the planet this woman goes, she melts hearts with her minimal foggy house. From Boiler Room s to Be-At TV s – countless sets and groundbreaking parties... And finally – Riga, finally – our own little music temple.."SoundcloudFacebook

JUNGLE

When: 8 NovemberWhere:Palladium Riga (entrance from Pērses iela)How much: €€€
"Riga we'll see the return of one of modern soul's brightest performers, the Mercury Prize nominated band Jungle. [..] As the founders of the band didn't want to simply play the groovy songs from their computers, they created a live band from seven people that quickly made Jungle into one of the most demanded performing bands in the world. Already with their first concerts Jungle was able to sell out venues around the world, dazzling audience with endless energy on the stage."TicketsWeb

PORTASam Lee. Shishani & The Namibian Tales

When: 10 NovemberWhere:Daile Music HouseHow much: €€ - €€€
"World music festival PORTA is celebrating it’s 18th
anniversary this year. It has become a well know and recognized festival in
Europe offering world music concerts and musical collaborations for two weekends each autumn in several places across Latvia.
Sam Lee traverses many worlds, challenging and pioneering folk music in
diverse places and ways. Not just an award-winning singer with two
highly decorated albums to his name and a sound incomparable to his
contemporaries’; his work fostering live music in the UK has been
instrumental in the explosion of folk of the last decade.
Many worlds flow smoothly together in the unconventional music of
Shishani and the Namibian Tales. The group was founded by percussionist
Sjahin During in Amsterdam, 2015, and they combine so
many unique qualities as a group that they are definitely one of the
most diverse acts in our festival." Tickets

STARO RĪGA

When: 16 - 19 NovemberWhere: Various locationsHow much: free
Enjoy the "Shine Riga" festival of light every evening from 18:00 to 23:00. Installations take over the city’s parks, squares and facades, as well there are multiple private and corporate initiatives in public spaces and in bars, cafes, other culture places. This year’s theme is "Up Rose the Castle of Light".Web

ABAS MALAS

When: 17 - 19 NovemberWhere: Arēna RīgaHow much: €€ - €€€
"Music and dance meet technologies, creating an
opportunity to experience the story of Latvia in an unprecedented light.
[..] It
is not a lesson in History, but a personal experience and opportunity
to be a significant part of the show "Both Edges", by being an observer.
This is a hundred-year-old story about us – the people of Latvia - and
our land in the veins of which Daugava – the river of time – flows. On a
2000 m2 large art projection stage created especially for our
centenary celebration, more than 450 ballet, contemporary and folk
dancers are going to show the history of Latvia.." Tickets

JUST ON TIMEDesign stories about Latvia

When: 22 November - 27 January
Where: Museum of Decorative Arts and DesignHow much: €
"The exhibition will look back at the 100 years since the establishment of Latvia, over which design gradually became an independent discipline, detaching from art, architecture, craft and industry. [..] Along with design objects, the exhibition will include videos,
photographs and other records that reveal the contexts in which these
objects were created and used."Web

BALTICON

When: 24 - 25 NovemberWhere:National Library of LatviaHow much: €
BALTICON is the biggest board game festival in the Baltic States. For a second year it brings together game developers, publishers, gamers, crafters, and anybody else who is into brain games - weather it's Catan, Rubik's Cube, Chess or Gloomhaven.Web

FUTURE FREAK

When: 28 NovemberWhere:Ģertrūdes ielas teātrisHow Much: €
"Future Freak" is a local-based dance performance that "imagines and conjures up three of the thousands of possible scenarios of the possible effects of ecological pollution, information density, historical baggage, canonized art, and the wish to remain forever young and healthy on the humans of tomorrow. Nobody knows what may come. This is purely a speculation."Tickets

DIGITAL FREEDOM FESTIVALWhen: 30 November - 1 DecemberWhere: Riga Latvian Society HouseHow much: €€€€€+
"The Digital Freedom Festival is a multi-event platform where the geeks of the digital era meet with policymakers to solve problems caused by the clash of the digital and analogue worlds. Investors and technology evangelists connect with young, bright minds of the start-up scene, and consumers discuss the impact of technology on our lifestyles."TicketsWeb

MORE INFONB: The weather will only be getting darker, more windy, chilly and humid than ever! If you think you can bear it with your regular clothes and without a good raincoat, think twice. If you think a second time and still believe you can bear it, you are either a walrus, a teenager, or simply dumb.What else:
1) Nothing is better than a freezing afternoon stroll by an empty beach. Go out of Rīga to Jūrmala town by train to enjoy the seashore (even when it's windy and damp), AND visit Art station Dubulti for the free "Blamescapes and Superflattenings" exhibition (16 nov 2018 – 10 feb 2019) by the previous Venice Bienallist Miķelis Fišers.
2) One of CAPITAL R's favourite folk singers Sam Amidon will be performing in Ventspils at Jūras Vārti on 23 November. He will be accompanied by Shahzad Ismaily and it seems to be a very exciting evening! Here are the tickets and a description to "Google Translate".
3) Although all information being in Latvian, you should still buy a ticket to Jozef van Wissem's concert. The world famous Dutch lautist and the director Jim Jarmush's kindred soul will be performing his 3rd or 4th time in the past years, yet is still - a must.

CAPITAL R is a storytelling, review, research, and multimedia local web gazette in ENGLISH. Your independent 5-minute blog on Rīga's authenticity in history and present, architecture and culture, art and underground, streets and souls.